Somalis are one of the most chastised Muslim communities in Europe. Depicted in the news as victims of female genital mutilation, perpetrators of gang violence, or more recently, as radical Islamists, Somalis have been cast as a threat to social cohesion, national identity, and security in Britain and beyond. Somali, Muslim, British shifts attention away from these public representations to provide a detailed ethnographic study of Somali Muslim women’s engagements with religion, political discourses, and public culture in the United Kingdom. The book chronicles the aspirations of different generations of Somali women as they respond to publicly charged questions of what it means to be Muslim, Somali, and British. By challenging and reconfiguring the dominant political frameworks in which they are immersed, these women imagine new ways of being in securitized Britain. Giulia Liberatore provides a nuanced account of Islamic piety, arguing that it needs to be understood as one among many forms of striving that individuals pursue throughout their lives. Bringing new perspectives to debates about Islam and multiculturalism in Europe, this book makes an important contribution to the anthropology of religion, subjectivity, and gender.

"Somalis are one of the most chastised Muslim communities in Europe. Frequently depicted in the news as victims of female genital mutilation, perpetrators of gang violence, or as jihadi brides and radical Islamists, Somalis have long been seen as a problematic refugee community in Britain and beyond. Somali, Muslim, British shifts attention away from these public debates to provide a detailed ethnographic study of the lives of Somali Muslim women in the United Kingdom. Based on ethnographic research with 21 households in London, it explores the aspirations of Somali women and how these shift over the course of the life cycle and across generations. It argues that these women's aspirations are shaped by, but also unsettle, contemporary ideas of religion, culture and nationality. Giulia Liberatore demonstrates that the increasing dominance of Islamic piety in Europe cannot be explained solely through the lens of religion and migration. Instead, it needs to be understood as one among many different forms of striving - such as for modernity or financial security - that individuals pursue throughout their lives. Bringing new perspectives to debates about Islam, multiculturalism, integration, and national identity in Europe and beyond, this book makes an important contribution to the anthropology of religion, subjectivity, and gender"...

Alphabetically arranged survey of 210 little-known "nations" that are not states and are not recognized by major countries as being independent political entities. Each entry is three pages in length and includes a map of the locale, a black-and-white drawing of the flag (with text description); data on population geography and the inhabitants and a longer passage on the history of the people and especially on recent attempts at independence or self-government, followed by a bibliography.